Gaging device for work grinders



Nov. 10, 1964 F. L. SLAYMAN 3,156,075

GAGING DEVICE FOR WORK GRINDERS Filed Jan. 2, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet l F. L. SLAYMAN 3,156,075

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Nov. 10, 1964 F. L. SLAYMAN 3,156,075

I GAGING DEVICE FOR WORK GRINDERS Filed Jan. 2, 1962 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG 6 INVEN r02: fEflNKLl/V A. smrMm/ Nov. 10, 1964 F. L. SLAYMAN 3,156,075

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Ivar/1457 United States Patent 3,156,075 GAGHNG DEVICE FOR WGRK GRENDERS Franklin L. Siayman, (Janton, Ohio, assignor to The Timlren Roller Bearing Company, Canton, Ohio, a corporation of tJhio Filed Jan. 2, 1962, Ser. No. 163,798 8 Claims. (til. 51-165) The present invention relates generally to gaging devices and is more specifically related to devices for gaging and accurately sizing internal surfaces during grinding, honing, machining and other operations being performed thereon.

Many devices and methods for gaging and sizing have been devised in the past, and some such devices and methods have been used to gage and size internal surfaces such as the surfaces of cylindrical holes and bores. The known devices and methods have employed many different kinds of gaging means and the like some of which are inserted into the hole or bore to be gaged after a grinding, honing or machining tool has been withdrawn from the hole or bore, and some have been inserted into one por tion of the hole while the tool is operating in a different portion thereof.

Briefiy, the present gaging device comprises a gaging head having a pair of spaced shoes which are adapted to be moved into a hole to be gaged while at the same time a grinding or like tool is moved into simultaneous engagement with the same or a different area of the hole, said gaging head also having one or more orifices therein that face the surface of the hole, said shoes being spaced on the gaging head to be moved into gaging position in the hole at the beginning of a hole enlarging or finishing operation so as to initially position said orifices in predetermined spaced relationship relative to the surface of the hole, means connecting said orifices to a source of pressure, gage means associated with said source to indicate by changes in pressure the rate of pressure loss between the said orifiws and the surface of the hole, means for individually or simultaneously inserting the gaging head and the grinding or other tool into the hole, said grinding or like tool being movable in the hole into and out of the space between the said shoes to simultaneously operate on and gage the same or a different portion of the hole.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide improved means for gaging.

Another object is to provide means for gaging a hole surface while simultaneously enlarging the surface by grinding, honing, machining or otherwise operating on the hole surface.

Another object is to provide relatively inexpensive and easy to operate gaging means.

Another object is to provide gaging means having a minimum of wear parts, and therefore requiring a minimum of maintenance and repair.

Another object is to increase the accuracy of internally ground, honed and machined surfaces.

Another object is to increase the efficiency and reduce the time required for grinding, honing and machining to predetermined dimensions.

Yet another object is to provide gaging means that are adaptable to be installed on new as well as existing equipment and which require little or no change or modification of the basic machine.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent after considering the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top view, partly in section,

3,156,075 Patented Nov. 10, 1964 "ice of a machine constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary cross-section view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary cross-sectional elevational view of the gaging and grinding portions of the subject machine, said portions being shown in withdrawn positions relative to the work piece;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the subject gaging device positioned in a hole in a work piece which is about to be enlarged;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the gaging device positioned in the hole after the hole has been enlarged;

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6 but showing a modified form of the gaging device; and

FIG. 8 is a view of the pressure source and control switch for the grinding machine.

Referring to the drawings by reference numbers, number it) refers to a machine for grinding and gaging according to the present invention. The machine 10 includes a magnetic chuck member 12 on which a work piece W is mounted for rotational movement during grinding and gaging of an internal cylindrical surface S thereof. For illustration, the work piece W is shown as an inner race member for a tapered roller bearing assembly. It is to be understood, however, that many other devices and work pieces could also be ground, honed, machined or otherwise operated on and gaged according to the present invention. The work piece W is located on the end of the magnetic chuck 12, and is held in position by two locators 14 mounted on a block assembly 16 attached to the chuck (FIG. 3).

To the right of the work piece W (FIGS. 1, 2 and 4) there is positioned a rotating shaft 13 with a grinding wheel or stone 20 on the end thereof. The shaft 18 and stone 20 are movable axially into the work piece W, and the stone operates on the surface S by engaging one side thereof in a manner well known in the grinding art. The stone 20 is rotated by drive means (not shown) and during a grinding operation the work piece W is also rotated relative to the stone to assure that the surface S will be ground round. It is also. contemplated to provide means for axially oscillating or reciprocating the stone 20 relative to the hole, or the chuck 12 relative to the stone, in order to grind all portions of the surface S equally and uniformly and in this way to increase the size of the hole while maintaining the roundness of the hole and also improving the wear characteristics of the stone 20 itself.

The chuck 12 and work piece W are rotated by means of a pulley 22 and a flexible belt 24. The pulley 22 is connected to one end of a rotating member 26 which has its opposite end connected to the chuck'12, and the member 26 extends through a wall of a housing member 28 and is rotatable therein by being mounted in two spaced bearing assemblies 30 and 32. The member 26 is also of tubular form and has a passage34 therethrough. A-

second tubular member 36 extends through the passage 34 and has one of its ends connected to a block assembly 38, and its opposite end extends through a passage 46 in the chuck member 12 and is connected to a gaging head 42. The gaging head 42 is positioned in a cylindrical chamber 44 in the chuck 12, and the construction and operation of' the gaging-head 42 are important to the present invention. '7

Thegaging head 42 has an outer portion 46 which is mounted on the end of the tubular member 36 and an inner portion 48 spaced inwardly of the outer portion 46 mounted on the end of another tubular member 50.- The portions 46 and 48 are cylindrical at the ends thereof connected to the associated tubular members 36 and t), and on the other ends have semicylindrical or G-shaped endwardly extending portions which form the gaging portion 52 of the head 42. The outside diameter of the C- shaped gaging portion 52 is constructed to be easily moved into a hole to be enlarged at the beginning of the enlarging operation, and the gaging portion 52 is of hollow or C-shaped construction to provide room on the open side thereof for a tool such as a grinding or honing tool, see FIG. 3.

The tubular member 50 on which the inner portion 48 of the head 42 is mounted extends all of the way through the tubular member 36, and has its opposite end sealably positioned in a bore 54 in the block member 38. The opposite end of the bore 54 is threaded and receives a fitting 56 which is connected to one end of a conduit 53. The opposite end of the conduit 58 is connected to a source of coolant or lubricating oil (not shown). Lubricant is pumped from the source through the conduit 58 and through the tubular member 50 and is discharged at the opposite open end of the tubular member 50 where it is used to lubricate the surface S and the grinding or honing tool 20.

The open end of the tubular member 50 is threaded on the outside to receive a nut 60 which is provided to hold the head forming members 46 and 48 in position. The members 46 and 48 are also provided with annular chambers for 0 rings 61 and 62 which respectively seal them to the associated tubular members 36 and 50, and the free ends of the members 46 and 48 are connected by a wall portion 63 which also supports the said members in spaced position so that the space therebetween communicates with the space formed by and between the tubular members 36 and 50. It is also contemplated to construct the pieces 46 and 48 as one piece, if desired, without changing the invention.

Two outwardly facing orifices 64 and 66 are formed in the head member 46 and are located on opposite ends of a diameter through the head 42. The inner ends of the orifices 64 and 66 communicate with the spaced formed between the members 46 and 48, and the outer ends thereof communicate with the space formed between the head 42 and the surface S when the head is in the workpiece W. The space formed between the tubular members 36 and 50 also communicates through a hole 68 in the member 36 with a bore 70 in the block member 38 (FIG. 2). The bore 70 has a threaded portion 72 which receives a suitable fitting (not shown), and the fitting is connected by conduit means 74 to a source of air or fluid pressure 76. The source 76 also includes gaging means 78 which indicate pressure changes at the source due to pressure escaping from the orifices 64 and 66.

The pressure source 76 establishes pressure in the conduit 74, the bore 70, the orifice 68, the space between the tubular members 36 and 50, and also in the space between the gage head members 46 and 48. The pressure thus established is partially released to atmosphere through the spaces formed between the orifices 64 and 66 and the surface S. The rate at which the pressure can escape through the orifices 64 and 66 depends to a large extent upon the spacing between the orifices 64 and 66 and the surface S. For example, if both orifices 64 and 66 are spaced very close to the surface S very little loss of pressure will occur, while if both orifices are spaced relatively far from the surface S considerable loss of pressure will occur. The differences in pressure thus produced can be observed and measured on the gage means or dial 78. Itis also possible to calibrate the gage or dial 78 so that the rate of escape or loss of pressure through the orifices which can be read on the dial 78 is proportional to the spacing between the orifices 64 and 66 and the surface S.

The gaging head 42 also carries a pair of substantially diametrically opposite contact shoes 80 and 82. The shoes 86 and 82 extend radially outwardly on the gaging head 42 beyond the outer surface thereof, the bottom shoe 82 extending further outwardly thereon than the shoe 3() (see FIGS. 2, 3 and 5-7). The shoes 8?) and 82 are preferably formed of a relatively hard wear resistant material and are positioned on the end of the head 42 adjacent to the orifices 64 and 66 respectively. The shoes are also preferably radially adjustable to compensate for wear and also in some cases to adjust for operation in difierent sized holes.

In FIG. 5 the gaging head 42 is shown positioned in a hole in the Work piece W at the beginning of a grinding, honing or machining operation. At this time the lower shoe 82 engages or rides on the lower portion of the surface S and the upper shoe 80 engages or is closely adjacent to the upper portion of the surface S. This condition is preferred at the beginning of the operation but it is also necessary that there be little or no binding or rubbing of the shoes on the surface S. At this time the bottom orifice 66 in the illustration is spaced further from the surface S than the top orifice 64 because the bottom shoe 82 extends outwardly from the head 42 further than the top shoe 80. In this condition, which is shown exaggerated in FIG. 5, relatively little pressure can escape from the upper orifice 64 because it is spaced relatively close to the surface S. However, as the surface S is enlarged, the space betwen the orifice 64 and the surface S becomes larger until at the conclusion of the enlarging operation as shown in FIG. 6 the orifice 64 is spaced a predetermined distance from the surface S. In FIG. 6 the predetermined distance from the upper orifice 64 to the surface S is shown as being approximately the same as the distance from the lower orifice 66 to the surface S. The escape or pressure at the conclusion of the hole enlarging operation is approximately the same for both orifices 64 and 66 and this condition is indicated on the gage 78 which is calibrated to read the pressure drop in terms of the spacing of the orifice 64 from the surface S. The gage device 78 can also be provided with operator means, such as pressure operated switch means which is shown in FIG. 8, to stop the hole enlarging operation when a predetermined pressure is reached. It should now be apparent that during the grinding operation the shoe 82 rides on the lower surface of the hole and continuously moves downwardly as the size of the hole increases. At the beginning of the grinding operation, therefore, the gaging head 42 has its horizontal center line spaced above the horizontal center line of the hole (FIG. 5) and during operation the horizontal center line of the head 42 moves down until at the end of the operation the horizontal center lines of the head and hole coincide.

In FIG. 7 there is shown a modified form of gaging head identified by the number 42a. The modified head 42a has two spaced orifices 64a and 64b located on one side of the head, and two other spaced orifices 66a and 66b located approximately diametrically opposite thereto. The orifices 64a and 64b and the orifices 66a and 66b are located respectively on opposite sides of the vertical center line of the hole. This refinement is provided to compensate for any horizontal movement of the head in the hole. For example, if the head 42 moves horizontally in either direction, the orifices on one side of the vertical center line will move to a wider diameter portion of the hole and cause greater pressure escape while the orifices on the opposite side of the center line will move to positions correspondingly closer to the surface of the hole and therefore permit less pressure escape and thereby compensate for the increased escape at the orifices at the wider diameter portion. Horizontal movement of the modified head 42 will therefore not adversely effect the gage readings.

As already noted above, the subject gaging head is designed to operate simultaneously with a grinding, honing, machining or other tool and to give a continuous and simultaneous indication of the size or gage of the hole even in the same region of the hole that the tool is operating in. This is possible with the subject device because of the shape of the gaging portion of the head 42 which is made hollow on one side to accommodate a working tool as clearly shown in FIG. 3. This simultaneous operating feature saves time by eliminating the necessity of alternately inserting and removing the working tool and the gaging head, and at the same time provides means for precisely and accurately determining when the desired size has been reached. The present device for gaging, therefore, eliminates the time consuming trial and error techniques of the past, and provides instead a more accurate means for enlarging and finishing surfaces to precise dimensions.

Previous reference has been made to pressure source 76 and a pressure operated switch means to stop the hole enlarging operation when a predetermined pressure is reached. Referring to FIG. 8 there is shown in brief the pressure source 76 which includes air supply 84 connected .to a regulator 86 which is a commercial type air sizing instrument and operates to reduce and regulate air pressure in line 38. The line 88 leads to a variable restriction device 90 which limits the flow of air to the line '74 already referred to above. The amount of pressure in line 88 and 88a will depend upon the clearance between the orifices 64-66, or orifices 64a, 64b66a, 66b, and the work-piece W. As the internal diameter of workpiece W increases the pressure in line 83, 88a reduces, and the visual gage '78 is calibrated to interpret the pressure as diameter sizes. In this arrangement the line 88a is connected to a precision relay 92 which is adjusted to pass air to the pressure switch bellows 94 at a predetermined pressure indicated as size on the size gage. When the bellows 94- contracts it opens the contact between points 96 and 8 in electrical line 100 to stop the grinding operation of the grinding machine.

Thus there has been shown and described novel means for operating on and gaging internal surfaces which fulfills all of the objects and advantages sought therefor. Many changes, modifications, and variations of the subject device and method however, will become apparent to those skilled in the art after considering this specification and accompanying drawings. All such changes, modifications and variations which do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as aforesaid are deemed to be covered by the invention which is limited only by the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:

1. Means for measuring the size of cylindrical bore surfaces during grinding enlargement thereof comprising a gaging head which is adapted to be moved into a bore during bore enlargement, said head having a fixed length shoe thereon that slidably engages the surface of the bore during measurement thereof, said shoe engaging the bore at the diametrical bottom thereof and remaining in slidable engagement therewith as the grinding proceeds to enlarge the bore diameter, a radially outwardly facing orifice located in said head substantially diametrically opposite from said shoe in the bore, means establishing pressure at the orifice, and bore enlargement indicating means sensitive to changes in the orifice pressure caused by changes in the spacing between the orifice and the adjacent surface of the bore during enlargement of the bore, said indicating means being connected into said pressure establishing means. .7

2. Means for measuring the size of cylindrical bore surfaces in members having a bore to be enlarged during enlargement thereof by a bore enlarging tool comprising a gaging head movable into the bore, said head having a bore engaging shoe adjacent the bottom thereof for engaging and moving on the bore surface during enlargement thereof, means supporting the head in the bore and permitting gravity forces to effectively maintain the shoe engaged with the bore surface and to move down as the bore enlarges, a radially outwardly facing orifice in said head located on the diametrically opposite side thereof from said shoe and facing the surface of the bore during measurement of the bore size, means establishing pressure at the orifice, and means sensitive to changes in the orifice pressure due to changes in the spacing between the orifice and the bore surface during enlargement of the bore by a bore enlarging tool.

3. The measuring means defined in claim 2 wherein a second radially outwardly facing orifice is located on the gaging head diametrically opposite from the aforesaid orifice, said pressure establishing means including means for establishing pressure at the second orifice.

4. The measuring means defined in claim 3 wherein said second orifice is located adjacent to said shoe and remains spaced a relatively constant distance from the bore surface during enlargement of the bore surface.

5. Means for enlarging and gaging the size of a hole in a work piece while simultaneously operating on and enlarging the hole with a hole enlarging tool comprising means to mount and rotate the work piece, a hole enlarging tool, and a gaging instrument having at least one portion thereof that engages and moves on the surface of the hole adjacent the lower most position of a vertical diameter of the hole, said gaging instrument being provided with an outlet orifice radially directed and located diametrically opposite from said first mentioned portion, said orifice being positioned to face the surface of the hole during a gaging operation, means for establishing pressure at the orifice, said orifice pressure varying in proportion to variations in the spacing between the orifice and the surface of the hole, and means responsive to variations in the orifice pressure for indicating the spacing between the orifice and the surface of the hole, said hole enlarging tool and said gaging instrument being simultaneously relatively movable in the hole.

6. In a grinding machine for grinding a surface of a work-piece and simultaneously gaging the ground surface of the work-piece: a work-piece support rotatable on a fixed axis to rotate the work-piece therewith about the axis of rotation; rotary grinding means eccentrically engaging the work-piece surface relative to the axis of rotation, said grinding means being movable in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation and approaching the workpiece from a first direction; and a gaging device comprising a semi-cylindrical body axially open at one end and at one side, said body being sized to fit closely the Work-piece surface to be ground and follow the surface grinding thereof, said body having internal passages terminating in a pair of outlet orifices which are diametrically opposite each other and spaced substantially equidistances from the center of said semi-cylindrical body, means supplying a fluid under pressure to said internal passages for exhaust at said orifices, said orifices directing the fluid at the surface of the work-piece to be ground, and a shoe on said body adjacent each of said orifices said shoes having different radial dimensions initially to locate said orifices at unequal distances from the surface of the work-piece to be ground and to locate the center of said semi-cylindrical body ofi center of said axis of rotation.

7. In apparatus for grinding the surface of a workpiece and simultaneously gaging and supplying a lubricating coolant to the surface to be ground: a workpiece support having an open-ended chamber therein and a work-piece locating face at the open end thereof, said work-piece support having an elongated passage extending from said chamber rearwardly relative to said locating face; means rotating said work-piece support about an axis lying in said elongated passage; non-rotative tubular means mounted in said elongated passage and extending into said chamber; a work-piece gage head carried on said tubular means in said chamber and including a semi-cylindrical member having a first passage therein opening axially of a work-piece mounted on said locating face, other passages terminating in orifices opening laterally of said member at diametrically opposite sides, and a shoe element on said member adjacent each orifice and projecting radially outwardly so as to lie close to the work-piece surface to be ground and space said orifices from the latter surface; a rotary grinder axially movable relative to the workpiece and disposed eccentrically of said gage head to engage the work-piece; means connected to said non-rotative tubular means to supply lubricating coolant through said first passage in said member for flow onto the work-piece surface to be ground; and other means connected to said non-rotative tubular means to supply a pressure fiuid to said other passages for fiow through said orifices, said other means including a calibrated gage for indicating the rate of pressure loss through said orifices to provide an indication of the change in the spacing of said orifices and the work-piece surface to be ground.

8. In apparatus for grinding the internal cylindrical surface of a rotating work-piece and detecting the enlargement of such internal surface during grinding: a workpiece supporr having a surface to receive a work-piece with its internal cylindrical surface horizontal and a chamher in said support open to and axially aligned with the cylindrical surface, a rotary grinder insertable in the work-piece from a position axially outwardly spaced from said chamber and eccentrically disposed to grind the cylindrical surface of the work-piece from one side of said chamber, rotary means to rotate said Work-piece support, tubular means extending through said rotary means and having an end in said chamber, a semi-cylindrical gage head on said tubular means with its open side directed to receive said rotary grinder and being provided with passages therein opening at radially outwardly directed orifices diametrically and vertical opposite, said gage head being movable to transfer the same between a retracted position within said chamber and an extended position within the cylindrical surface of the work-piece, means connected to said tubular means to supply pressure fiuid for flow outwardly at said orifices, a shoe element carried by said gage head adjacent the one of said orifices located at the bottom end of the vertical diameter on which said orifices are located, said shoe holding the adjacent one of said orifices at a substantially fixed distance from the internal cylindrical surface to be ground, and initially maintaining the other of said orifices closer to the cylindrical surface to be ground than the orifice adjacent said shoe, said shoe following the surface to be ground so that said other orifice moves to increase its spacing from the surface to be ground, and other means connected to said pressure fluid supply means to indicate when said other orifice has reached a spacing substantially equal to said substantially fixed distance for said one orifice.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,772,519 Boyd Dec. 4, 1956 3,019,565 Hatstat et al Feb. 6, 1962 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,098,002 France Mar. 2, 1955 849,524 Great Britain Sept. 28, 1960 

1. MEANS FOR MEASURING THE SIZE OF CYLINDRICAL BORE SURFACES DURING GRINDING ENLARGEMENT THEREOF COMPRISING A GAGING HEAD WHICH IS ADAPTED TO BE MOVED INTO A BORE DURING BORE ENLARGEMENT, SAID HEAD HAVING A FIXED LENGTH SHOE THEREON THAT SLIDABLY ENGAGES THE SURFACE OF THE BORE DURING MEASUREMENT THEREOF, SAID SHOE ENGAGING THE BORE AT THE DIAMETRICAL BOTTOM THEREOF AND REMAINING IN SLIDABLE ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH AS THE GRINDING PROCEEDS TO ENLARGE THE BORE DIAMETER, A RADIALLY OUTWARDLY FACING ORIFICE LOCATED IN SAID HEAD SUBSTANTIALLY DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSITE FROM SAID SHOE IN THE BORE, MEANS ESTABLISHING PRESSURE AT THE ORIFICE, AND BORE ENLARGEMENT INDICATING MEANS SENSITIVE TO CHANGES IN THE ORIFICE PRESSURE CAUSED BY CHANGES IN THE SPACING BETWEEN THE ORIFICE AND THE AJACENT SURFACE OF THE BORE DURING ENLARGEMENT OF THE BORE, SAID INDICATING MEANS BEING CONNECTED INTO SAID PRESSURE ESTABLISHING MEANS. 